In all likelihood, you’ve never heard of him. His name was Baudouin, and he ruled the people of Belgium as their king for 42 years—from 1951-1993—except for 36 hours in April of 1990. This past December, the Vatican officially opened the beatification process for him—and with good reason. He was known to be a humble leader whose Catholic faith influenced everything in his life. It influenced the way he treated people; it influenced the way he ruled; it influenced the things he supported as king, as well as the things he rejected.
Baudouin never said, “I am a Catholic, but …”
In 1995, two years after the king’s death, Pope John Paul II offered this assessment of the saintly monarch: “[King Baudouin] was a great guardian of the rights of the human conscience, ready to defend the divine commandments, and especially the Fifth Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ especially with regard to the protection of the life of unborn children.”
That last point is a reference to what happened in 1990. At that time the Belgian Parliament passed a bill which legalized abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. It was the duty of the king to sign a bill like that into law, but King Baudouin refused to do so. He remained true to his beliefs concerning the sanctity of human life—beliefs that were rooted in his unwavering Catholic faith. About his decision not to sign he wrote: “I know by acting in this way I have not chosen an easy path and that I risk not being understood by many of my fellow citizens. To those who may be shocked by my decision, I ask them: Is it right that I am the only Belgian citizen to be forced to act against his conscience in such a crucial area? Is the freedom of conscience sacred for everyone except for the king?”
As a consequence of his refusal to sign, King Baudouin was declared unfit to reign by the government, and he was removed (willingly) from office. Thus, they were able to pass the law without his signature.
But his abdication of the kingship didn’t last very long. Because of his overwhelming popularity, Baudouin was reinstated as king just 36 hours later, and in that capacity, he faithfully served his people until his death from a massive heart attack in 1993.
Given the immoral and often scandalous behavior that some prominent politicians and civil servants have engaged in during the last several decades here in the United States, some now believe that it’s impossible (or nearly impossible) for a person to be both a good leader and a good Catholic at the same time. It’s as if holiness and effective leadership are mutually exclusive realities. But King Baudouin, St. Louis IX, St. Stephen of Hungary—and others like them—have shown us that living a virtuous life is possible even amidst the trappings of wealth and worldly power. By the grace of God, it can be done. This led Pope Francis to voice his hope recently that King Baudouin’s powerful “example as a man of faith enlightens those who govern [in the world today].”
That’s definitely a much-needed “enlightenment” that people in our country—and in every other nation on earth—should pray for.
